Old radio sets no longer receive TV audio signals

Here's another ripple effect to radio from the recent HDTV conversion — any of the old radio sets that previously received TV audio signals won't anymore.

According to John Dehnel, chief engineer for KSL and other Bonneville radio stations in Salt Lake City, there were a number a radios manufactured that were able to receive the analog TV audio channels, which basically were FM audio carriers.

Radio Shack and others sold sets that had a "TV" band setting on which you could tune to TV aural transmissions.

(News people used to use them for live cues while in the field.)

"It does not work any more, nor is anyone likely to manufacture such a set in the future," Dehnel said.

"Making a receiver that would do that would be complicated and expensive. The video and audio are now part of the same digital data stream that is transmitted. In order to decode it, a receiver would have to decode the entire HD signal and then put out only the audio," he said.

"You would basically have to make a portable DTV receiver without the screen. In addition you would probably have to license the use of Dolby digital audio, since that's what HDTV uses for the most part. It's not as simple as extending the tuning range of an FM receiver, as was the case in the analog days."

Nancy James, who works at Hill Air Force Base, said she really misses being able to listen to the audio of TV stations on her old radio set — especially in the mornings.

Dehnel said Bonneville has talked about putting the KSL-TV newscasts and other local shows on an HD radio channel, probably on KSL-FM HD3. ("The Mormon Channel" is now on HD2).

However, the idea is hung up with some legal issues regarding the use of NBC and CNN bites on radio.

PORTABLE HD RADIO ARRIVING — Best Buy and other stores should be selling portable HD radio sets this summer. The Best Buy Web site said its Insignia HD radio portable player is currently on back order, but that it will sell for $49.99. Reviews on the new product say its only downside is that the sound quality doesn't measure up to what was expected.

RADIO HAPPENINGS — Jon Carter and "The Coach," morning hosts on KRSP (FM-103.5), will be stationed at the corner of 200 East and 400 South during the Days of 47 Parade on July 24 to entertain early parade arrivers.

— YouTube can add a new dimension to radio. Take Gina Barberi on KXRK ("X-96"). Her morning co-hosts made her take a walk in Salt Lake recently and filmed her exercise session while tempting her with Ding Dongs. If you rarely see local DJs in person, video footage like this provides you with the visual side.

— KSOP (FM-104.3) has a mystery sound contest going on every weekday at 10:50 a.m. The station's Web site (www.ksopcountry.com) offers clues as to what the sound is not.

e-mail: lynn@desnews.com